Not Applicable
Not Applicable.
This invention relates to cartons, and, in particular, to a paperboard carton formed from a blank, to hold and display balls.
There are numerous designs for paperboard cartons to hold balls, such as basketballs, soccer balls, volley balls, baseballs, etc. Many of the cartons, especially for the larger balls, display the ball, rather than enclosing the whole ball. These cartons often have only a one or two lines of contact with the ball in the carton or otherwise do not have a good frictional contact with the ball. Hence, the ball can move or turn in the carton. Movement of the ball in the carton can weaken the holding force of the carton on the ball, as well as the carton itself.
When manufacturers package their balls in display cartons, the balls are arranged to display the manufacturers"" marks and logos. Because the currently available cartons allow for unassisted movement of the ball (as compared to movement due to consumer handling of the ball), the manufacturers"" marks and logos become hidden. It would be beneficial to the manufacturers if the carton would resist such unassisted movement of the ball relative to the carton.
Further, many of the cartons currently available are difficult to fold or require complex machinery to form the carton from the blank.
A new and improved carton for holding and displaying a ball is provided. The carton has a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, and side walls. The top-to-bottom height of the carton is less than the diameter of the ball. Hence, the top and bottom walls have holes therein through which the ball protrudes when received in the carton. The holes are sized and have a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the ball at a plane of contact between the top and bottom walls and the ball so that the hole edges engage the ball substantially along the full circumference of the openings. The carton also includes interior braces which extend into the carton. Preferably, the braces are positioned at the corners of the box and extend diagonally toward either the top or bottom wall of the carton. The braces have a curved end edges which are sized and to engage the ball substantially along the full length of the respective edges. The engagement of the top and bottom walls and of the braces with the ball substantially preventing unassisted movement of the ball relative to the carton. Further, the upward direction of the braces urges the ball against the top wall hole edge to reinforce the engagement of the top hole edge with the ball, and hence, increase the frictional engagement of the hole edge with the wall.
Preferably, the carton is formed from a one-piece, unitary paperboard or cardboard blank. The blank allows for the carton to be folded quickly and easily, and without the use of glue, staples or other forms of chemical or mechanical fasteners. The blank includes a back panel which forms the back of said carton; a top panel and bottom panels hingedly connected to opposite ends of the back panel for forming the top and bottom walls of the carton. An inner front panel is hingedly connected to an end of said bottom panel along a side of said bottom panel opposite the back panel. An outer front panel is hingedly connected to an end of the top panel along a side of said top panel opposite said back panel. Side panels are hingedly connected to opposite sides of said top panel to form said carton side walls. The inner front panel has a cut-out extending inwardly from an end of said inner front panel toward said bottom panel.
Flaps are hingedly connected to ends of said side panels and extending beyond said top panel to be on opposite sides of said outer front panel when said blank is laid flat. The flaps include a neck having a bottom edge which, when said blank is folded to form said carton, is generally aligned with a bottom edge of said inner front panel cutout. An ear extends from the neck in a direction (preferably perpendicularly) to allow said ear to be tucked behind said bottom edge of said inner front panel cutout when the carton is formed. Thud, said blank is folded into a carton, the flap neck is on one side of said inner front panel and the ends of said ears are on an opposite side of said inner front panels. The flaps engage said inner front panel to maintain said carton in a folded form without the use of glue, staples, or other chemical (i.e., glue) or mechanical (i.e., staples) fasteners.
The blank also includes slots formed along the hinge line between said bottom panel and said inner front panel and corresponding tabs hingedly connected to, and extending from, an end of said outer front panel. When the carton is folded, the tabs are inserted into the slots. The engagement of the tabs and slots holds the outer front panel in place relative to the rest of the panels, and further helps to maintain the carton in its folded form without the use of any fastening means, such as adhesives or staples.
The side walls of the carton are made of an outer side panel (which is connected to the top panel) and an inner side panel (which is connected to the bottom panel). The inner and outer side panels are connected by connecting panels. The connecting panels include a brace forming panel to form the rear braces of the carton. Additionally, forward brace forming panels are hingedly connected to an end of the said inner side panels and operatively connected on the sides of the said inner front panel and form the forward braces when said carton is formed from said blank. The forward brace forming panels each comprise a two triangular sections hingedly connected together, so that the forward braces are generally V-shaped in elevation or vertical cross-section. All the braces, as noted above, preferably are offset from the vertical and horizontal axis of the carton, so that the ends or edges of the braces are directed toward the top (or bottom) walls of the carton when the carton is formed.